Tom Sherrington “Lesson feedback: don’t send it, don’t give it – co-construct it. Otherwise, it won’t be worth it.”

Coaching to drive school improvement

Part 1: The Process

Instructional coaching is the current driving force behind much of the TPL work carried out within school settings, why? Because it has been identified as one of the most powerful tools to drive school improvement by empowering teachers to take ownership of teaching and learning challenges through a process of identification, introduction of high impact actionable strategies, reflection & feedback, adaption and improvement which can be brought into future teaching scenarios.

So what is coaching and what is involved in the process?

Pep McCrea describes coaching in schools as “one teacher working with another to help them take small, personalised steps to improve their practice”.

In the past this may have been called mentoring and limited to NQT’s assigned to an experienced teacher who guided them in how they would deal with many issues in refining their skills, however, with changing demands on teachers we have to realise that those teaching 10, 20, 30 years may have mastered their classroom management routines and have impeccable subject knowledge but the profession is a dynamic ever changing role which we must adapt and overcome if we are to avoid the fate of the dinosaurs!

The process put simply is a cycle of observation & feedback built on the foundations of confidentiality, non-judgemental, dialogue-based practice between the coach and coachee or as described by Nieuwerburgh “coaching in education is about better conversations for improved outcomes”.

The most harmful barrier to an effective coaching programme is the feeling of top-down leadership and a hierarchy of ego and control. This creates a culture of passing on problems without the empowerment and development of the skills to solve our own problems. This has to be the paramount consideration when entering the coaching process.

The coach’s role is not to judge the effectiveness of the teacher, but to support their development and help them find their best practice through a process of open discussion and active listening.

The coaches’ points should be based on feedback from direct observations, evidence based not opinion and always free from judgement.

A directive coach (mentor) tells the teacher what they should do next based on their experiences, were as a facilitative coach focuses on empowering the teacher to find their own solutions by asking exploratory questions.

Strategic questioning and active listening are key components to effective coaching sessions. We must first ask ourselves, why are we asking the question and how can certain questions be interpreted.

The “Why” question can often be heard as judgemental over the “Awe, tell me more” question which shows interest and an appreciation for efforts.

A simple guide to questioning should be based around the following principles; ask open ended, engage personal responses, facilitate openness over defensiveness, co-create conversations without manipulating outcomes, ask questions with curiosity and don’t be afraid of silence and reflection.

In Banbridge High School we want every child to reach their potential and every teacher to feel supported to develop their pedagogical prowess. For our learners to be actively engaged and involved in their learning we need teachers willing to adapt and apply their skills through a process of effective professional development. It is hoped to integrate the coaching process into our day-to-day school life both within departments, working with our learners, and solving problems together with middle and senior leaders in the medium and long-term planning. For this to happen, each coaching cycle must be built on five key principles; Listen to value, it is not an opportunity for the coach to share their knowledge or how they would have carried out a task but to show that the teacher has the skills and knowledge to best drive their own development through the process of facilitated reflection. Nurture hopefulness, help your peers imagine their desired outcomes and help them see various pathways of achieving this. But remember the choices should be made by them and not the coach. Focus on the good, emphasise what is working well, highlight successes by keeping discussions and feedback cycles positive. Choose your words, the coaches’ language can greatly impact both motivation and engagement. Focus your language on the outcomes that we want rather than what is not wanted. Always show compassion, everyone wants to be the best version of themselves both personally and professionally but remember everyone is always in the middle of something. Be mindful of this and be there to support.

The key takeaway is based on the premiss that the aim of coaching is not to fix a teacher or student, or to demonstrate how good the coach is but to make a challenging job a little bit easier by empowering individuals to overcome their own challenges with the coach as a guide and support. For many years top-down leadership has demotivated staff by knocking their confidence and creating imposter syndrome, and barriers to school and department improvement.

A well-structured and efficient coaching system built on trust and openness has the opportunity to create a culture of both teachers and learners who are better placed to respond independently to future challenges, with a high degree on self-efficacy and drive.

We are on the early stage of a whole school coaching roll out but aim to use the strategy to increase teacher self-reflection and improve the sharing of good practice moving forward.

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